7S CHINESE SECRET SOCIETIES. 



at San-Kong. After this, they performed the funeral ceremonies, 

 and went into the deepest mourning. 



We will now return to the five priests, Chhoa, Png, Ma, 

 O, and Li ; after shewing their gratitude to their preservers 

 Chi a, and Go, they proceeded to the Black Dragon Mountain, 

 where they arrived at dusk, hut found no place of shelter ; after 

 consultation, the brethren determined to go to the Ko-Khe Tem- 

 ple, and beg hospitality there. 



The keeper of the Temple, Ng-Chhang-Seng', and his wife nee 

 Chiong, being persons of compassionate and just dispositions, 

 listened to the prayer of the priests, opened the gates of the 

 Temple, received them reverently, and gladly admitted the bre- 

 thren, treating them in a most hospitable manner. During the 

 night, the host and his wife conversed with their guests, and of 

 course the priests related the sad tale of all the injuries they had 

 received; the husband and wife being moved with pity, invited 

 them to take up their abode at the temple, until they could 

 devise means of avenging their wrongs. 



Who could have imagined, that in half a month's time, the 

 news of the priests' escape, and place of refuge, would get to the 

 ears of the Mandarins ? it however did reach them, and they 

 sent troops to the temple, to arrest the brethren ; luckily 

 the priests received early information of the intentions of 

 the officials, so, having expressed their gratitude to Chhiang-seng 

 and his wife, they left the Ko-Khe temple, and escaped to the 

 Province of O-Kong, to a temple called that of the " Spiritual 

 King," where they entered a monastery, and dwelt there. 



For some time everything went quietly, and one day the five 

 priests went for a stroll to E-Kang-boe ; coming to the bank of 

 the river, they suddenly espied a censer floating down the stream; 

 taking up the vase, they saw inscribed on it the characters, ( ' The 

 precious white censer" ; it had two ears, its. base was a tripod, 

 and the whole was composed of green-stone. 



The brethren handed the incense-burner to each other, and in 

 turning it about, they were exceedingly astonished at seeing on 

 the bottom, the following characters engraved; "Overturn the 

 '" Chheng" and restore the " Beng."* When they had thoroughly 

 comprehended the meaning of the legend, the brethren knelt 

 before the censer and prayed. After this, they took up two bro- 

 ken pieces of coloured pottery, which were lying near the spot, and 



* Hoau Chheng Hole Beng. 



